Framing Pain as Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Wartime Films of Bangladesh

The Liberation War of 1971 (Muktijuddho in Bengali) is the most significant and celebrated event in the history of Bangladesh. Covering the films made during the Liberation War, this paper aims to explore the language and aesthetics of wartime films of Bangladesh. The traumatic suffering, the human rights abuses against the Bangladeshis, and their revolt against the Pakistani army were the subject of numerous documentary films during the period. Local and international film makers recorded the unfolding events of the war. Scrutinizing the interests and perspectives of different directors both from the local and the international arena, this paper considers how wartime films tackled and negotiated the issues of atrocity, memory, and witness. In addition, I closely analyze the film Stop Genocide (1971) by the Bangladeshi film director, Zahir Raihan (1935-72). Stop Genocide is acclaimed as the most authentic and influential visual text in shaping the cultural memories of the war. Along with its third cinema aesthetics, I look at its re-inscription of gender stereotypes of nationalist struggle. I also pay attention to the complex relationship between language, culture, ethics, identity, and other discourses related to violence and suffering.